End Of A Generation
by Warrior Cat Cody
Summary: Korra says farewell to a special mentor before the latter dies. But before the latter passes on, she has some final words of wisdom to pass onto her before death, the next great adventure. Post Book 4 finale. Rated T for death scene.


**Warrior Cat Cody: Hey there, everyone, and welcome to a new story! Due to the finale of The Legend Of Korra having premiered online today, I decided to add an epilogue of sorts.**

**What if there was an epilogue showing the death of a member of the old Team Avatar? Considering the age Katara, Zuko, and Toph are at, it's likely that they'll pass away from natural causes. Also, despite the concept of death being scary, it's unavoidable. No one's immortal (not like Twilight's stupid vampires), and dying's a part of the circle of life. This story will explain some of that as we go along.**

**Now that that's done, let's get this story going.**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own The Legend Of Korra, remember that. This series belongs to Michael DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko. And it's thanks to Canada Cowboy that I've been able to write this, so I'm gonna give him a lot of credit. And there's gonna be some series finale spoilers coming up.**

**Summary: Korra says farewell to a special mentor before the latter dies. But before the latter passes on, she has some final words of wisdom to pass onto her before death, the next great adventure (Harry Potter reference).**

**Publishing Date: December 19, 2014**

**Enjoy!**

**...**

_**End Of A Generation**_

Avatar Korra had been spending time in the Southern Water Tribe, her friends coming along with her to see the South Pole again. The final battle against Kuvira and her Earth Empire had finally come to an end nearly a year ago, and the reconstruction of some buildings in Republic City was nearly completed. Not only that, but she and Asami Sato of Future Industries had gotten even closer; some said that they could even become more than just friends, perhaps even becoming a couple.

But things in the Southern Water Tribe were not that good, though. It turned out that another reason Korra had come back was that Katara had been feeling ill, and it made her fear for the worst. So she had come back home to spend time with her mentor until she got better, no matter what happened.

Now Korra was sitting at a balcony in the Southern Water Tribe palace, looking out towards the city and pondering. Her friends Mako, Bolin, and Asami were out on a friends' day out in the city, and she had declined going with them, wanting a little time to herself. And all that time, she had been pondering on what she should do for Republic City once her mentor had recovered. But just as she was thinking that, her train of thought had been interrupted.

"Korra?"

She turned around at the familiar voice. Her parents Tonraq and Senna had met up with her on the balcony, looking both sad and concerned.

"Mom? Dad?" Korra asked, seeing the looks on their faces. "Is...is Katara okay?"

Her parent shared a sorrowful look at this. Then Senna said, "...no. She said it's her time."

_No! Not so soon! _Korra thought in horror and sadness. When she was young, she had thought that Katara would live to nearly a hundred years old or so. But now, she was dying.

"I wanna go see her," Korra said right away.

Tonraq nodded. "She's at her hut. Tenzin and the rest of the family are there."

"And be gentle," Senna added. "They already said their goodbyes."

So Korra went inside the palace, got herself ready, and headed out towards the edge of the Southern Water Tribe city. Katara hadn't really gotten to the city a lot in these recent years, having only gone there to gather healing water for her patients. Along the way to her hut, she had stopped by her friends, who had gone out for a day around the city, having lunch or even touring the city...and they were currently doing the later.

"Korra?" Asami greeted her, confusion in her beautiful green eyes as Korra stopped before them. "What's wrong?"

The Avatar gave a sigh and said, "It's Katara. She's...she's dying."

"What? How can that be?" Bolin piped up. "I thought she'd live forever! Heck, to maybe a hundred!"

"Same thing I thought," Korra muttered.

That was when Mako said, "Well, let's not waste time here. How about we all go see her together?"

Korra agreed with her long-ex-boyfriend; now wasn't the time to dillydally and do whatever. So they made their way out of the city.

When they got to Katara's hut, there were already some people there. They were Tenzin and his family, the former being Katara's youngest son and a master Airbender. Around him were his wife Pema and their four children (Jinora, Ikki, Meelo, and Rohan) and his siblings, Kya and Bumi. They appeared to be looking towards the inside of the hut, as if waiting for bad news.

"Hey," Korra spoke up as they turned to look at her.

"Hello, Korra," Tenzin returned the greeting. Korra had heard the heavy sadness in her Airbending teacher's voice. "Are you here to say goodbye as well?"

Korra nodded numbly, trying to swallow the grief down. "Yeah."

"She's in there, kiddo," Bumi mumbled, sniffling as if trying not to cry. "It's gonna be hard, you know? First with Dad dying...then Uncle Sokka...and now Mom too..."

In response, Kya gently wrapped an arm around his shoulder to comfort him. Meelo and Rohan looked even sadder, so Pema and Ikki comforted them. Only one person had not reacted until now.

"Can I come with you?" Jinora asked, stepping up next to Korra. "I'd like to see if her spirit's going to go to the spirit world."

"Sure thing," Korra murmured. She knew Tenzin's oldest daughter had always had a canny relationship with spirits. "Let's get going."

Before they could go in, Tenzin said, "You two...make sure she will be fine before it's time."

Korra nodded. "No problem. Let's go, Jinora."

"Good luck in there," Mako added.

So they stepped away from the Airbender family and their friends and made their way inside the hut. Inside, it was rather dark except for candles lit up around where Katara usually slept.

"Gran-Gran?" Jinora called softly. "It's me, Jinora. I'm bringing in Korra so she can say goodbye."

No one spoke for nearly a moment. Then a familiar voice rasped, "Bring her in please, dear. And stay beside us until it's over."

Watching Jinora go ahead already, Korra followed suit towards the deathbed. Her throat nearly tightened when she saw Katara lying there; her mentor looked frail on the verge of death, yet she was keeping herself alive despite her breathing slowing down. Korra wondered where Katara's healing pupil (a teenage girl named Kallik) was at, but there was no time thinking about that.

"Korra..." Katara had used some of the last bit of strength in her body to turn her head. "I'm so glad you're here..."

"I heard about it from Mom and Dad," Korra rasped, sitting down next to her mentor. "But...that's impossible! You can't die!"

Katara gently rested a hand on hers with a gentle smile. "It's merely a part of life. Where one thing dies, another grows in that place. Remember what I said to you nearly five years ago?" she asked as her ailing gaze grew a little brighter. "I had said that it was the time for your generation to help keep balance in the world. You, your friends, and Tenzin's children have done an amazing job with it, and you have become an excellent Avatar."

Korra blinked back the tears in her eyes, nodding as she remembered all of that. Indeed, it was time for her generation to be the peacekeepers, but it seemed too soon for the older generation to die off too soon. She had been at the funeral of Katara's brother Sokka, and she hadn't figured out much about death until she had seen her teacher pray to the spirits for his well-being in the next life.

"I think I'm feeling his spirit here," Jinora suddenly declared, looking around. "Grandpa's spirit."

"He's here...?" Katara's voice trailed away as she looked away from them. "Wait for me, Aang...I wish to say goodbye first..."

Korra looked up quickly to see the spirit of the previous Avatar, but all she saw was a swirl of wind fading away. When she looked back, Katara looked around back at her pupil and oldest granddaughter.

"You two and the rest of your generation have many talents, and that is essential for a great generation," she said, pausing to cough a bit. "A generation without guidance cannot find complete peace, and you had gotten enough guidance. With it, you and everyone else had made a difference, saving the world four times first from Amon, then Unalaq, then Zaheer, and finally Kuvira. Never before had we, as the old Team Avatar, had fought against four major threats over three to four years..."

"Yeah...I remember all that," Korra said. Those were some hard battles, to help make the world a better place.

Katara nodded faintly and rested her head back on the pillow. "Never give up fighting, dear. The road ahead will always be rough, but I know you can do it. That includes the spirit portal you have made in Republic City...I have heard of it..." She had stopped to cough before sighing, her eyes starting to cloud over. "...and you have done the impossible, Korra. You are indeed...an amazing Avatar..."

There wasn't anything else for her to say. Her eyes were closing and starting to cloud over more quickly.

"No!" Korra cried, sitting up right away. "Please! Don't go just yet!"

"It's time," Jinora murmured sadly, her brown eyes filling with tears. "Her spirit is tired and weary. It's time for her to go."

"I know," Korra rasped, her broad shoulders shaking with sobs. She looked down at Katara and choked, "The spirits are really gonna welcome you well in the spirit world. And they'll always remember all the great stuff you and the old Team Avatar did. Like how you helped Aang learn Waterbending, how you helped Zuko become the Fire Lord, and how you helped found Republic City..."

But there was no use talking, for Katara had relaxed one final time as she breathed her last breath. Then...there was nothing.

She was gone.

Korra could not keep the tears back anymore and let them go. She let go of Katara's cooling hand and wept quietly, aware of Jinora resting a hand on her shoulder with the same sadness. It felt like the world had gotten colder without her mentor here, but she couldn't help it. Her mentor, the old woman she had seen as a grandmother of sorts, was dead.

"She's at peace now. She can come with us."

Both Korra and Jinora looked around at the sound of the soothing male voice. There, beside them, was a familiar Air Nomad spirit standing beside them. His dark gray eyes had a mix of sadness and relief in them, and his smile also had a hint of sorrow behind it. He looked just the same as the last time Korra had seen him, when he had helped her out of a tight spot.

"Aang..." Korra gasped in shock, stepping back. She had thought that, when her uncle Unalaq and Vaatu had temporarily destroyed Raava, Aang would have disappeared for good with the other Avatars.

"Grandpa Aang?" Jinora's tear-filled eyes were now wide in astonishment. "What...it's so great to meet you."

Aang smiled a small smile to his granddaughter. "You too, Jinora, but I can't stay here for long. I've come here to escort Katara to the spirit world." He walked over to the master Waterbender's still body and murmured, "Sweetheart, it's me. Time to go."

Katara's body suddenly started glowing at the midsection, and what looked like a person's glowing body appeared and got out, looking around as if wondering what had happened. She looked like she was forty years younger, fresher and beautiful and still in her prime as a powerful Waterbender. When she looked around at Aang, her surprised look was taken over by a smile.

"So you were around all along," she said, stepping over to Aang and embracing him deeply. "I've been waiting for you for twenty-two years."

"And I for you," Aang told Katara with a smile as he kissed her cheek. He looked around to Korra and Jinora and said, "Thank you for staying with her until I could come. And what she said is true: our time is over. It's your time to shine."

Korra nodded, saying, "We know. And we've been doing our best to bring peace to the world."

Aang said, "It's a never-ending job, but I know you all can do it. And before we go, we'd like to speak with Tenzin and the others." Then he rested a hand on her shoulder, saying, "Korra, I never got the chance to say this: thank you. Thank you for everything you've done for Republic City. You had brought back Airbending into the world, a dream I had always had but not accomplished, and you had saved Republic City many times over."

"And we'll always watch over you and the entire family," Katara added.

Korra and Jinora gave them one last hug before walking out of the hut. Korra could hear words of surprise and amazement, but she didn't hear them entirely. She was thinking over what Aang and Katara said; there was a lot more work ahead for her and the next generation, but with the knowledge taught to them by the past generation, they could do anything. Now she felt small tears of both sorrow and joy in her eyes and couldn't stop them from falling.

"What's up?" Jinora asked with a curious look.

"Katara's in peace now," Korra said, wiping the tears from her eyes. "And...I never thought Aang would come back. How can that be?"

Jinora shrugged. "I may have a bit of an idea. Grandpa's come back, sure, but he probably won't be as close to you as you were to him and all your other lives. Maybe that's his way of saying that he'll help watch over us, but he's right in one thing: now's our time to shine."

_I can't agree more, _Korra thought, watching as Aang and Katara vanished after talking with their family. _We'll honor their legacy forever._

_**The End**_

**...**

**Warrior Cat Cody: Well...that's that. I hope you all liked this story, and if there's something wrong here, just let me know, and I'll fix it. And I know it's not that well-written, but I tried my best. By the way, this will be the last story I write before 2015, and I will NOT be doing anymore SongFics.**

**As for the Legend Of Korra finale...it was epic. That was right there with the Avatar: The Last Airbender finale. And that means that unless if there's a third series coming out, this is really the end of Avatar...for good this time. From the colossus tank falling to Hiroshi's death (I didn't like him in Book 1, but he's fully redeemed himself) and finally creating a new spirit portal. And let's not forget Prince Wu taking a level in awesome, Varrick and Zhu Li getting hitched, and Korra and Asami taking a "vacation", MAYBE becoming a couple. This series has always been as awesome as the series before it, and it will always be remembered as one of the best Nickelodeon shows to ever exist.**

**Plus, I know Aang couldn't really come back, but it'd be nice if he did. So that's why I added it thanks to Canada Cowboy, so I'm giving him all of that credit.**

**See ya next time, and Merry early Christmas!**

**And may the Avatar spirit live in the hearts of its fans forevermore!**


End file.
